I thought long and hard about writing this post but as the week has come to a close I just can’t keep my mouth (fingers…?) quiet any longer. Watch out, this might get a little “ranty”.

I am a teacher. I really enjoy what I do. I love seeing the growth in my students over the year I get to have them. I take pride in it. BUT IT IS HARD! I go home every day exhausted. Being a teacher is not a job you leave at 5pm and without a thought of it till the next morning. I go home and fight to turn off my “teacher-self” so I can become the mom and wife.

A colleague and I were talking this week and lamenting the fact that we have found ourselves being more of a “mom” than a teacher to our students in recent years. We spend so much time teaching basic manners and expectations that it sometimes overshadows the academics that we are trying to sneak in. When did “please” and “thank you” become foreign to some children…and (cough, cough) to some parents?

As a teacher, I spend more waking time on a daily basis with your child than you do. A fact. (My daughter spends 8 hours a day at daycare being cared for by her teacher.) I know who they are and I cherish them for their uniqueness. I try to teach them 2+2, the ABC’s, basic manners and because I am in a Christian school, all about Jesus.

All I want is a “thank you”, every once in a while. A understanding smile when I tell you about your child’s day. A respect for the fact that I hold a degree and I know what I am doing! Some trust that I truly want what is best for your child.

It is Teacher Appreciation week this week. And all I want is a “thank you”; not an extravagant gift, coffee mug, Pinterest DIY craft or gift-card Something has gotta change in our country, because teachers are highly undervalued and under appreciated for the work we do. We are teaching the next CEO’s, doctors, lawyers, mothers, you name it!

So, if you know teacher (all of you do…) say a quick “thank you” the next time you see them. It really means a lot and makes us feel a whole lot better than another coffee mug.

I became a teacher. I swore I never would. Over and over when I was little people would tell me what a great teacher I would become. I was in total denial.

I chose my college, signed up for the nursing program, and then as I arrived for freshman orientation I was told that they had dropped the program. Well, gee! I wasn’t going to leave the school; I wanted to be there! So, instead I just went “undeclared”. Ha! Undeclared, as far as God was concerned I was a declared education student from the time I was born!

I started working at the campus child care center “just for money”. Still in denial, I continued through my first year. And as if it couldn’t get any more obvious, I was placed in charge of teaching a class of kindergartners for a small portion of my job. Slowly, the “just for money” job became my favorite part of the day.

Finally, I saw the road signs. God had once again been setting me up to become what I always was meant to be, a teacher. I still find myself struggling against it at times and wondering “What if?” but I am trying to abide and stop chasing happiness. God has placed me in this career for a reason and it may not be clear to me on a daily basis, but I am learning to trust in Him.

Everyday is an adventure as a teacher. Every day is the first time again. Wondering what moods the kids will be in, what will and won’t be accomplished and so much more…but the best part is the unknown. The wonder and as I like to call them, the “Praise the Lord!” moments when my kindergartners and 1st graders finally get it!